Drop-front drawer for filing-cabinets.



PATENTED MAY 22, 1906.

I. .H-"ATHEY. DROP I'RQNT DRAWER FOR FILING CABINETS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3. 1905.'

FIG. I.

bylvzssm V (imam ,UNrTnn s'rrrrns PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC H. near, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNUR TO nosr PROOF "FURNITURE COMPANY, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

, DROP-FRONT DRAWER-FOR FILING-CABINETS.

No. 321,577. Application filed July 8,

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC H. ATHEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, 5 ha'veinvented certain new and useful Imrovements in Drop-Front Drawers for Fil- 1ng-Cabinets, of which the following is a specification. I This invention relates to the construction of drawers for filing-cabinets and the like and its object is to provide certain improvements for the urpose of simplifying and strengthening rawers; to provide a con-' struction which will economize space allotted for the drawers, which is com aratively rigid and which overcomes some the objections to drawers whose bottoms are joined to the sides and ends of drawers; and with the above-named objects in view the invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described in detail, illustrated in the drawings, and incorporated in the claims.

In'the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a filing-cabinet provided with three drawers constructed in accordance with myinvention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal and vertical'section through one of the drawers, a 4 portion thereof being broken'away. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of one of the drawers. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of same. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the dust-proof device shown in Fig. 2 combined with a drawer embodying my invention. Fig. 6 is a lan view, drawn on a reduced scale, of the b ank from which the drawer is formed. Referring to the drawings, 2 represents the body of the cabinet, having drawerspaces therein, each of which is either provided with a bottom or the usual side rails for the drawers to slide upon.

Numerals 3, 4, and 5 represent identical idrawers in different positions. The board front 6 of the drawer 3 is shownentirely closed, while the identical front 7 of drawer 4 is partly drawn out, though not sufficient to permit the said front to drop down to the position occupied b drawer 5. As t e position of the latter drawer discloses all its front, the reference characters are applied to drawer 5 in Fig. 1. The whole drawer -proper,-including the drop-front 8, is made of but two pieces of sheet metal.

Specification of Letters Patent.

1905. Serial No. 268,269.

the front on the lowest The drawer, exclusive of the.

Patented May 22, 1906.

' front 8, is made from a single piece of sheet metal cut substantially in the form shown in Fig. 6 and bent or folded along the dotted lines. The parallel sides 9 and 10 and the rear side or end 12 are integral with the bot tom portion 11., being upwardly-bent extensions of the latter. On the rear ends of sides 9 and 10 are laterally-extending wings or flanges 13 and 14, which are extensions of said sides. These flanges overlap the ends of the back 12 of the drawer and are secured.

to said ends by means of hollow rivets or eyelets 15 and 16. The drop-front 8 in its full- .open position is back of the vertical plane which it occupies when in its closed position,- and said front "comprises the sheet-metal part 8, from which are struck up or bent a pair of bracket portions or wings 17 and 18, pivoted at 19 and 20 to,re spectively, the sides 9 and 10. As shown, these flanges lie against the outer sides ofthe parts 9 and 10, and by using hollow pivots or rivets 19 and 20 a strong upset portion or rivet-flange 20 is ver easil formed and same produces but a slig t su ace projection. The Wings 17 and 18 have laterally-bent portions or flanges 21 Y and 22, which, togethe'r'with a similar flange 23, formed on the front 8, not only serve as stops limiting the upward movement of the front, but also perform other important functions. The flanges 21 and 22 serve as runners or slide-plates,upon which the front 8 is supported for a smooth and free movement along the slide-supports in case 2 for the respective drawers. The flange 23, on the other hand, effects complete closure between the forward edges 24 and 25 and the front 8, so that papers standing on edge, accidentally or otherwise, against said front cannot drop out of the drawer. A portion of the. forward edge of bottom 11 has the usual handholdrecess 26. 7

It will be seen that the above-described construction provides a drop-front, together with means or supporting and effectively closing it against the body of the drawer without adding more than onethickness of sheet metal to each of the sides 9 and 10 and to the bottom 11 and at the same time the flanges 21, 22, and '23 serve as stiffening-ribs that support the front against bendin or flexing under such ull upon it as woulg be exerted when the awer is full of papers, The sides of the drawer are shown provided with stiffening-ribs 27 and 28, which consist of one or more folds of the upper edges of said sides. These ribs may be made tubular, if desired. Awell-known objection to the common form of cabinet-drawer is the joints between bottom and sides, which often open sufficiently to catch and hold papers. This difficulty is entirely overcome by obviating joints at the cornerswhere bottom and sides meet. In lieu of joints along the bottom, which are apt to catch and tear papers, my construction places such joints as are necessary along lines vertical to the bottom and to papers or documents laced thereon. Bending the metal u war to form the sides also leaves the outsi e corners smooth and slightly rounded and facilitates easy slidin movement of the drawer or tray upon its hearings in the drawer-openin of the cabinet.

For the purpose of retaining the wood ef feet for the drawers in cabinets otherwise made out of wood I have provided a false board front 29, which is held to the front 8 by means of screws passing through suitable apertures in the metal front 8 into the board front 29 from the inside of drawer, so that the fastening means or screws shall notbe observable at the front of the cabinet.

In Figs. 2 and 5 I have shown my construction in combination with a holder 31 for a felt cushion 32. This holder is rovided with a wing or flange 33, which is c amped between the metal front 8 and false front 29.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to obtain by Let ters Patent, is r I 1. A drawer consisting of a single piece of sheet metal bent to form the bottom, sides and rear end of ,a drawer, said sides and end having overlapping parts which are riveted together, and the overlaps arranged to extend vertically to said bottom, said bottom and end constructed to provide a continuous or unbroken surface where said bottom and sides come together, and a pivoted front constructed and arranged to normally close the I front of the drawer and to overlap portions of the outer faces of the sides and under side of the bottom. Y

2. A filin -cabinet drawer 0 en at one side and consisting of a plate of s eet metal cut and bent into a form, said form comprising a bottom and three sides, the latter, at their junction with said bottom arran edto form an unbroken or continuous su ace, means for fastening the abutting sides of said ends together, and a pivotally-movable drop-front arranged to normall close the open side and to horizontally over ap the front edges of the bottom in such a manner'that pa ers cannot drop edgewise past said front and front edges.

3. A filing-cabinet drawer,'consisting of a plate of sheet metal cut and bent into a form which comprises a bottom and two sides 9 and 10 as well as a rear end or side -12, which are continuous with said bottom, said sides and end. having overlapping portions or flanges, which are riveted to said rear end 12, and a drop-front constructed and arranged to normally close the front end of the drawer and to also close the slight space between the drop-front and sides and bottom, in planes at right angles to the plane of the drop-front when same is in its closed position.

4. A filing-cabinet drawer, consisting of a plate of sheet metal cut and bent in the form of a drawer, the sides 9 and 10 of which are riveted to the rear end 12, said sides and end being extensions of said bottom bent upwardly, and a pivoted drop-front formed from a single piece of sheet metal in such a manner as to provide stiffening-ribs which serve to support the front against bending strains.

5. A drawer, consisting of a single sheet of metal out and bent to form a bottom, sides rear end and stiffening-ribs for the upper edges of said sides, and a drop-front also consisting of a single sheet. of metal havin integral stiffening-ribs arranged to normally lie against said bottom and sides.

6. A drawer, consisting of a single sheet of metal out and bent to form a bottom, two sides and a rear end, means for securing said sides and end to each other, said sides and end having stiflening-ribs formed by bending a portion of the upper edges thereof upon ,themselves, and a front for said drawer which ,also consists of a single sheet of metal having Eintegral therewith wings 17 and 18 pivoted to said sides, said front and wings having integral therewith flanges 21, 22 and 23 which overlap the front edges of the drawer, the flanges 21 and 22 arranged to serve as slidebearings for said front, the flange 23 constructed to serve as a closure between said front and the bottom of said drawer, and all three of said flanges arranged to serve as stiffening-ribs for said front.

7. A drawer, consisting of a single sheet of metal out and bent into a form which comprises the bottom 11, the sides 9 and 10 and the rear end 12, said bottom, sides and rear end being constructed so that their joints run along vertical lines relative to the bottom,

whereby the latter is a continuation of said sides and end, and a sheet-metal front having 8. A drawer, consisting of a single sheet of metal cut and bent into a form that comprises the bottom 11 and the sides 9 and 10 and rear end 12 extending from and in te a1 with said bottom; means for fastening sa1d sides and end together; a drop-front for said drawer consisting of a single piece of sheet metal having bent portions 17 and 18 pivoted to the sides of said drawer; and

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, front as well as stiflening-ribs; the flanges 21 and 22 thereof arranged to serve as runners or slides upon which said front is supported vertically when in a closed, or partly-closed position.

9. A drawer, consisting'of a single piece of sheet metal cut and bent into the form which comprises the bottom 11, the sides 9 and 10 and the rear end 12;. said sides, bottom and rear end being one continuous piece of metal, said sides and end having joints arranged vertically to said bottom; the front 8, having thereon the flanges or ribs 21, 22 and 23 and the wings 17 and 18 pivoted to the sides 9 and 10; and the false front 29 secured to the outer face of said front8.

10. A sheet-metal drawer consisting of a single sheet of metal bent into a form which comprises the bottom 11, the sides 9 and 10 and rear end 12, said bottom, sides and rear end being constructed so that their joints are arranged on vertical lines relative to bottom; a front 8 having the wings 17 and 18 arranged to serve as supporting-brackets for said front, the latter provided with a flange 23, said wings provided with flanges 21 and 22; a false front 29 secured to said front 8, and a dustproof strip having a wing 33 secured between said fronts 8 and 29.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ISAAC H. ATHEY. Witnesses:

FRED L. KOEHLER, J.-EnwAnn KING. 

